物以类聚

物以類聚

wùyǐlèijù

idiom

Meanings

1 like attracts like
2 birds of a feather flock together
3 things of one kind come together

Characters

by, according to

Examples

物以类聚，人以群分，他交的朋友都是一路人。

Wù yǐ lèi jù, rén yǐ qún fēn, tā jiāo de péngyǒu dōu shì yílù rén.

Like attracts like - the friends he keeps are all the same kind of people.

正所谓物以类聚，这群艺术家很自然地走到了一起。

Zhèng suǒwèi wù yǐ lèi jù, zhè qún yìshùjiā hěn zìrán de zǒu dàole yìqǐ.

As the saying goes, 'birds of a feather' - this group of artists naturally came together.

Tips

history

From the 易经·系辞上 (Yi Jing, Great Treatise): 方以类聚，物以群分 ('directions assemble by category, things divide by group'). The full modern saying is 物以类聚，人以群分 (wu yi lei ju, ren yi qun fen) - 'things gather by kind, people split into groups.'

usage

Often slightly negative - implying that bad people stick with bad people. Pair it with 人以群分 for the full impact, or use alone in either neutral or critical tones.

Stroke Order

物 wù

以 yǐ

类 lèi

聚 jù